Although the existence of the giant panda in China dates back at least three million years, it would be from the 50s of the 20th century when the Chinese government would promote the study of the species. For this he would found the reserve, whose main objective would be to preserve a species in clear danger of extinction and which was also considered a national treasure. So it was that in 1963 the Wolong National Nature Reserve was founded, at the same time that the Giant Panda was declared a protected species.

In the 1980s, and following the research progress of the Reserve, the Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong was founded together with the non-governmental organization WWF, with the aim of becoming a gene bank for the latter and other threatened species. Since then, and with a satisfactory result in the development and protection of the species, it has been possible to breed the bear cubs in captivity for their subsequent adaptation to the natural habitat and the progressive increase of their population, maintaining all the guarantees for a subsequent evolution. of the different populations. The reserve, the largest of its kind, is home to approximately 10% of China's total Giant Panda population.

The giant panda, a highly threatened species, currently has a population of just over 1,000 individuals concentrated in the mountainous areas of Sichuan and southern Shaanxi. Its natural habitat is between 2,300 and 3,200 meters above sea level and it feeds mainly on two varieties of bamboo. Wolong National Nature Reserve is well known as the Hometown of Pandas, which aims to improve the reproduction rate to repopulate the forests.

Internationally, and as part of the Global Breeding Program, the reserve has loaned giant pandas to zoos around the world through its Center for Conservation and Research. It has cooperated with a total of 16 zoos in 14 different countries and providing a great platform for scientific research on giant pandas. Nationally, as one of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, Wolong National Nature Reserve has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006, and since 2020, it became part of the Giant Panda National Park, which was combined with 67 small nature reserves with the aim of improving the living and mating conditions of the hitherto fragmented populations.

Located in the middle of the mountain range, the quintessential habitat of giant pandas, the reserve has a wide variety of mountain and high mountain landscapes with unique geographical and climatic conditions, with splendid landscapes characterized by narrow valleys, rivers, waterfalls, gorges and forests. In addition to the protected natural spaces where wildlife lives and develops, the Wolong National Nature Reserve has the Wuyipeng Giant Panda Observation Station, from where it is possible to spot Giant Panda specimens in their natural habitat. The Giant Panda Museum is also located within its facilities, as well as breeding farms for both giant pandas and red pandas, golden monkeys and other endangered animals.

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